Flotsam
by tami3
Summary: Zelbess found a human by the sea; by law, it's hers to keep, but what will she do with it? What can she do, with the demihumans hating humans so much? Update: If something has no precedent, and no one wants to help you through it, what happens? Z x F, R
1. Prelude

Flotsam  
  
Flotsam;  
  
Definition: The wreckage of a ship or its cargo found floating on the sea. Legally it belongs to the original owner, though finders may claim salvage.  
  
- - -  
  
/In the case of Zelbess, demi human, mermaiden, a resident of Marbule and therefore entitled to all the rights of a natural-born citizen, we grudgingly acknowledge her valid obligation to the individual in question. He is thus released into her custody and she has the council's permission to do with him what she will. She is forewarned that, as the council is assuming that she will attempt to nurse him back to health, she is expected to return the specimen to his previous people. Afterwards, she is asked to resist contacting him again, out of respect and concern for the well being of Marbule's demi-humans/  
  
/However, it would not infringe upon any laws if she were to do otherwise./  
  
/The council would request of Zelbess's kin to please refrain from adding comment. Furthermore, if at any time Zelbess's procurement desires to depart, she must agree to allow him to do as he wishes, but only after taking steps so that he never discloses the location of Marbule. If he should die from his wounds, she is responsible for disposing of his body in a proper way that does not desecrate any of the demi-human's sacred rites. She is to attend to his needs herself and never pester other demi humans for assistance. We recommend that if she is to keep him here for an extended period of time, she is to keep his presence discreet as not to offend other inhabitants./  
  
/ Mermaiden Zelbess agrees to your terms./  
  
/ The council recognizes mermaiden Zelbess's acceptance of the aforementioned stipulations. Mermaiden Zelbess is dismissed./  
  
/ The Sage desires to ask mermaiden Zelbess a question with her and the council's consent./  
  
/Yes, honorable Sage?/  
  
/Why insist upon such a potentially dangerous idea?/  
  
/ I do not need to insist. He is the will of the waters, and defending the possession of what ocean declared mine is ludicrous./  
  
: : : /They say mermaiden Zelbess has fostered a fondling from the sea. Rumor has it that his vessel was scuttled by the storm and he was washed ashore at her fins./  
  
/A two legs, I have heard. The impudence of that girl to endanger all of us by adopting a barbaric human. . .! If it were anyone else besides that silly halfwit, she would have had the sense to leave him well enough alone and he would have been let back into the tides that pushed him here./  
  
/Beautiful she may be, but Zelbess dreams away her life. I suspect her family was far too indulgent in her upbringing. There is evidence that her family encourages her insane schemes of merging human civilization and that of the demi humans. They cheered her madness on at the trial./  
  
/Some of the wilder tales have a cruel whisper about Zelbess falling in love with this human. I would not be surprised if the dunce favored her human patient over the young mermen of the village. She might even marry him./  
  
/That is a foul and disgusting thing to say about another demi human, my friend! Zelbess probably looks upon the human as a pet. She may be too flighty to listen to reason now, but she knows her place and will mature in time. Be patient. There is hope yet of salvaging that particular soul./  
  
: : :  
  
Fargo groggily lifted his head, wincing at the water weight that seemed to be sloshing around freely within his skull.  
  
His senses were blunted by the trauma of being struck by monsoon driven waves over and over again. All that his weary vision would feed him was a blurry haze of ripples dicing the texture of a rough rock wall, and blobs of yellow sunlight hovering in midair.  
  
He closed his eyes again. He vaguely decided that he had survived the storm that his ship had met headlong and, after drifting on a broken piece of the capsized caravel, found refuge in a cove. The silvery patterns flickering upon the boulders were surely just the reflections of a nearby pool of water.  
  
He fought against his instinct to go back to sleep. He needed to seek out any of his mates that might be nearby. If they had found each other, they would construct a makeshift canoe from local materials and look for a way back home as soon as it was done. With or without him.  
  
Well, perhaps there was a town nearby that they could beg asylum from until reunited with all possible survivors. But generally mild city-dwellers disliked having to deal with rough cutthroats that made a living out of plundering and thieving. If the scenario ever arose, their best bet would be to forge an understanding where they were given enough supplies to get the hell out in exchange for not stealing or maiming during their brief stay.  
  
Fargo coughed.  
  
That rarely worked, for several reasons. One, the word of pirates was hardly ever trusted. Two, vigilantes would probably drive the seafaring racketeers out of the premises with torches and guns.  
  
Another cough.  
  
The life of a pirate was usually a very pleasant one. So long as you didn't have too many scruples, you could make a fortune in hardly any time at all. One might think having to live on a boat (adrift and ready to flee from law enforcement amidst the chaos of a raid) was harrying, but Fargo was fond being nomadic, able to up and go whenever the crew felt like it. You became attached to your fellow seamen, as you did spend all of your time packed together in cramped quarters, even if it wasn't recommended. Mutiny and betrayal were liable to spring up any time. But it was fun, not having to abide by the ridiculous mannerisms that landlubbers demanded. You could be also crude and foul as you wanted to be without being chucked out of the room by any indignant womenfolk. Females were understandably unwilling to stomach the hardships of a sailor's life to accompany them most of the time. And the rare few that did quickly learned to drop proper etiquette if they wanted to fit in.  
  
It was only at moments like these that you regretted your devilish lifestyle of arson and pilfering.  
  
Karma. All sea folk, superstitious and meticulous, believed in it. Except for pirates, who weren't allowed to for obvious reasons.  
  
But at times like these, Fargo damned well did.  
  
There was a rustle of disturbed water. Praying fervently it was just a beached fish, Fargo feigned unconsciousness. In his condition, it wasn't all that hard to do.  
  
A pause. Then a most unwelcome squelching sound, as if the body of a large marine mammal had just heaved itself onto a platform of hard stone.  
  
Stone? Wasn't he lying on soft sand? Sand that had been folded into cloth- like rumples after lurching toward it and collapsing?  
  
Most curiously, instead of the slick swish of wet scales sidling upon the ground, a gentle gurgling whir whizzed near Fargo's ear. A strong aroma of sea salt wafted to his nostrils. Not unusual, when you considered where he was. But it had suddenly become extremely noticeable, blotting out the other present whiffs of kelp and damp.  
  
Fargo pried open his eyelids involuntarily at the strangeness of it all.  
  
All he saw was mauve tendrils pocked with smoky cobalt, fluttering like the extensions of an exotic fish's tail. Something else, probably. Small fish could afford to be flashy and swaddled in swirls of toxic elegance. This body part was rather large . . . and large fish had to stay drab and inconspicuous for survival.  
  
It struck Fargo that the elegantly cut fin was reminiscent of the floppy earflaps of Komodo dragons, which he had hunted along with his friends a few months ago in order to harvest their bedazzling scales for wholesale. So perhaps this was a new sort of marine beast looking for an easy meal.  
  
Fargo sighed and numbly turned his head. It wasn't the worst way to die.  
  
  
  
Another old piece, when I could only use my old computer. (Which would REALLY make this old.) It's a 3-part series, anyone interested? Anyways, I've never felt any affection for the Marbule demi-human racism story-but I've always loved mermaids. And for some reason, I've always been fond of Nikki, too. I chose his path when I needed to get into the manor. But I couldn't think of a decent fic to write about him. So onto his parents, who have a pretty darn cool story if you look at the play Nikki and his crew did. (I'm assuming that's Nikki's parents they were talking about.)  
  
Just as a side note, I do believe this is the first Fargo/Zelbess fic on fanfic.net. . . I know, because at one point I went through all of them. Serious addiction a couple years back. This might be the first story with either of them being the main character, too. I'm glad I finished this thing, it was great fun to develop it. Look for the next chapter say, next week, and review! 


	2. Interlude

Flotsam;  
  
Defined: The wreckage of a ship or its cargo found floating on the sea. Legally it belongs to the original owner, though finders may claim salvage.  
  
: : :  
  
/Mermaiden Zelbess, you have been summoned here before the council to again discuss the human that you have assimilated into your own family. Our sources have reported that you have succeeded in treating him and that his status is currently stable. This meeting has been called in light of recent developments to inform you of further precautions that the council, as well as the rest of the community, has realized are necessary now that the human is now again able to walk among us./  
  
/Mermaiden Zelbess would be more at ease and probably more cooperative if the council would refer to her . . . human . . . as "Fargo."/  
  
/The council will comply. Fargo, the human, has several times attempted to engage demi human residents in conversation against their will. Mermaiden Zelbess has failed to notify officials that her human, Fargo, is now mobile, against her moral duty as peacekeeper. Complaints have been filed and processed; therefore, mermaiden Zelbess and her kin are now charged with irresponsibility and will make certain in all future events that human Fargo is to maintain a healthy distance from Marbule natives./  
  
/Mermaiden Zelbess accepts the responsibility of isolating Fargo./  
  
/Mermaiden Nautilus understands the council's concerns as well./  
  
/Furthermore, although we hope that mermaiden Zelbess will realize that the following are decisions reached with the best interests of demi human well being in mind, these rules must be enforced with your human, Fargo, no matter your opinion of them./  
  
/Mermaiden Zelbess humbly advises the council not to be prejudiced./  
  
/The council will heed mermaiden Zelbess's advice, if she remembers that the council's conclusions are both sensible and final./  
  
/The Sage suggests that we reroute the subject to the real matter at hand./  
  
/Mermaiden Nautilus concurs with the honorable Sage, as he makes an excellent point./  
  
/ Very well. Mermaiden Zelbess, in addition to the previous conditions presented in her last meeting with the council, the human Fargo must leave if new of any signs of hostility towards the demi humans reaches the ears of this council. The human Fargo must leave if he shows any disrespect for our culture. If any of his kind should come looking for him, you must see to it that he is removed from the village and given back to them, even if it must be forcibly so. If this should ever happen, knowledge of the demi humans must not be divulged. Finally, mermaiden Zelbess is to resume interaction with the Marbule populace again. The council was displeased when secondary family and close friends came before us and projected anxiety over her preoccupation with her hu- . . . Fargo./  
  
/Mermaiden Zelbess would please ask the council to observe her rights to a private life and her justified desire for them to butt out of her personal business./  
  
/Zelbess, sweetie, there's no need to be rude./  
  
/The Sage will sympathize for Mermaiden Zelbess's exasperation if no one else will./  
  
/The council has no objections to Mermaiden Zelbess's unpleasant disposition as long as long as she obeys its command./  
  
/Alright! Mermaiden Zelbess will uphold the council's unjust regulations!/  
  
/Oh honey. . ./  
  
/Mermaiden Zelbess and her mother are dismissed./  
  
/Ah . . . if the Sage may, could he make a comment before the mermaidens make their exit?/  
  
/He may./  
  
/He would like to remark that Mermaiden Zelbess did an excellent job performing the solo at last week's festival. She truly has a beautiful voice./  
  
/Why. . . thank you, honorable Sage./  
  
: : :  
  
/Zelbess's human. . . "Fargo," I think she calls him, has been wandering unchecked around the village these past few days. He may not be much of a threat right now, hobbling about like the sick man he is, but it irks me that Zelbess is as ignorant as she is to think that having a free range human in Marbule will not stir up any trouble./  
  
/ Many mothers have had enough good sense to lock their children indoors when they see him coming around. Excuse me, HEAR him approaching. Typical human that is, crude and slovenly, braying with hilarity at every insignificant thing. The hulk doesn't have a shred of dignity. And I disagree with you about him being harmless. Have you seen the size of that brute? Everyone knows that just because an animal is wounded, that doesn't render it defenseless and meek. In fact, do you know any species that becomes more docile with injury? The human seems to be perpetually ill mannered . . . I fear for Mermaiden Zelbess and her mother's safety, I do. It's just them all alone in a house with Zelbess's untamed pet./  
  
/The council has given her a scolding, I imagine. She should be less difficult from now on. It's likely that she will get bored of her plaything soon enough and give him back the humans before he's up to terrorizing us further./  
  
/Some of the local youth have taken to throwing stones at the human when he ventures out of the house. Bless them, I don't blame them for their feelings, but it's not wise to provoke such a creature./  
  
/He sneers at them when they do. I highly suspect that he may be unstable. Even more volatile than his kind usually are./  
  
/I pray that mermaiden Zelbess rids herself of that deranged abomination soon./  
  
/ She will for her people if not for herself, surely./  
  
: : :  
  
Zelbess shifted the claret tail that curved in a glistening coil underneath her as she rearranged herself in a comfortable position. Fargo was about to tell one of his stories, and while fascinating, they tended to be long. She had gotten into the indoor pool in preparation; an hour out of the water's natural buoyancy and her muscles started to cramp, especially if she was upright. Her mother was coiled around a chair. Her fins, still vibrantly colored but going ragged at the edges from age, sopped over the side and tickled a puddle on the perpetually sodden floor. In her cushion of moist moss, her expression said that she anticipated Fargo's story as much as Zelbess did.  
  
Blissfully brushing experimental strokes in the water as she tread to stay afloat, Zelbess rotated her end fin and the ones protruding out of her back. At the same time, she pushed out with the textured stretches of vivid skin spanning the spines jutting out of her body. Fargo was always staring at her. It might be because she found her as pretty as the merboys that kept pouting at her indifference for them at the window. Most probably because he found the bony formations growing out of her that were absent from himself too bizarre to ignore. Either way it made her blush.  
  
He was interesting for her to look at too. Unlike mermen and merwomen, his skin was a dull, monotone light brown, instead of blotched with rainbow eyespots or banded with flashy bars down the side. He also was missing any useful body parts that most demi humans were blessed with; he had no tail to fortify his balance. There were no fins for propelling himself backwards and forwards as nimbly as a seahorse when swimming. His forehead was blunt, without even a single lump or protrusion that could mistaken for a horn. (Nowadays just meant for display, but an previously an evolutionary quirk meant for goring down opposition during mating season.) Still, Zelbess found the overall simplicity of his form a welcome change that of demi humans, whose vanity about their special extra features provided an extra thing to have heavy competition for.  
  
He also had a length of bushy black hair, so long that it trailed down his neck and he was able to tie it back with a strip of leather. When he moved, it moved. When the wind blew in, the dark strings followed in the direction of the breeze's path. Some of the beastial demi humans had plush fur covering them, but it was close-cropped with muted colors patterning them all over; nothing like the glossy shape-shifter that hung down over Fargo's neck muscles. He also had stubble stippling his cheeks and a thick crescent of bristles over his upper lip. There was even a thin coat darkening his arms and legs.  
  
Merpeople had hair, but only on the tops of their heads. It wasn't good to have something that could absorb water dragging you down in your own natural habitat. The marine demi humans had either shed the free-flowing water resistance early on, or never had any in the first place. Even their hairdos naturally hardened into sleek, geometrical blocks, as solid as coral, which cut through the waves like knives. It was pity; flexible hair would have looked lovely swirling underwater, and there was no humanoid that liked to frolic gracefully as much as young mermaids.  
  
Her train of thought was interrupted with Fargo's raucous "HAR HAR HAR", accompanied by her mother's musical titters. Mostly all the women of their family had melodious voices, sweet enough to charm the barnacles off their perch. The men too, were gifted in that way, although their brass tones were more useful as signals, similar to the purposes of that of a conch shell. But that didn't mean they couldn't muster up an enchanting siren song when they wanted to. They just didn't, because it was really a feminine fancy to serenade neighbors. (Females could also weave intoxicating traps for unsuspecting victims, but that was frowned upon.) But it was a simple fact that no human's voice could match that of a mermaid's. They simply didn't know how to infuse that magical quality into the notes. (Their excuse was a difference in vocal cords.)  
  
Zelbess refocused her attention to what Fargo was saying. It irritated her slightly that no sentence could be completed without profanity or some pirate jargon, which her mother giggled at. But she couldn't deny that she enjoyed listening to his stories. It was a breach of protocol to retell even old, worn Marbule legends out of season, so it had an added plus saving Fargo that he didn't mind treating them to accounts of his life after he had woken up. He seemed to have been all over the world and experienced everything there was to be experienced.  
  
Which was why she really should really stop ogling him and listen up. He wasn't going to be around forever, after all.  
  
: : :  
  
Welcome to chapter 2, or the end of it. I want to leave a few more notes so the purpose/basic ideas of this story are clear. The first part was a council meeting. The second was Marbule gossip, most likely between acquaintances of Zelbess. Last was plain. . . interaction, can't think of a better word for it, between the characters. This applies to the first chapter too.  
  
I know I said "next week". . . and this is, sort of. The week's not out yet. Cutting it close, but it counts.  
  
I wanted to point something out, although mostly everyone should have made inferences of their own by now. The demi humans are obviously racist against humans, although right now (because the struggle with the humans hasn't happened yet) it's more scorn than resentful hatred. (As it was in the game) The demi-humans share the same perspective as humans presumably do at this point; they have mutual feelings of superiority over the other. Which of course will lead to some new developments-plot-vital developments- in chapter 3. It's due to come out next week, or a little later because I put off things a lot. (Although if I get, say, 5 reviews, I'll post it up sooner.)  
  
And to the reviewers:  
  
Greki- Thanks. I didn't think it was very deep, but perhaps it got deeper here? . . . Maybe even more so in the conclusion. (Looks at ending; worries about coherency) Yeah, probably. (Worries some more.)  
  
Delita-chan- You know what? I know I shouldn't place heavy judgment on a fic's summary, especially since summaries are usually less interesting as the fic as a general rule- but it's true, if I see the word KIRGE (for some reason its always completely in caps. Wonder why that is. . . ) I refuse to read the fic. I have very few bad experiences with KIRGE, and I also have no substantial history of hating the couple.(come to think of it, it's cute.) I just do it. Even though I have not exhausted myself reading KIRGE fics, seeing 6 out of 10 new entries being KIRGE puts me in an ignoring mood, because they all sound the same anyways and I could never stand to like something unoriginal. Crazy, huh? But in truth, the relationship between Serge and Kid is quite boring when it comes to romance. You look at the game, and Kid says maybe 3 affectionate things to him, tops. (Serge is a mute, so no flirting on his part, obviously.) So Kid is romanticized into this person who'd do anything to reach her love-and that becomes her only image in fan fiction. Doesn't anyone notice that the majority of the time, she was gutsy and strong, with a tragic background and mystical connections? Why the heck should finding Serge be the mandatory plotline of every fic written about her? If people weren't such suckers for love, maybe they would have gotten Kid's point better (the HEROINE with a HEROIC side with significance in the story. She's not the side story girlfriend. That's really more Leena, no offense to her because she's cool too.) There'd be more fics out there about her life with Lucca, her duality as Schala, the way she has a code of honor even as a thief-anything, really. She was a diverse person, and with such potential for development. . . if things had gone differently, I might have liked her better in the fanfic world. Too bad so many people like the romance genre than the character's personality itself. It disappoints me. Augh, sorry for the rant. . . Thanks a lot for your comments, it made me happy that others appreciate new ideas. I thought I'd put some weight into that flotsam idea- Fargo at this point is seen as Zelbess's property, really.  
  
Cheetah Smith-Well, although it is technically a Zelbess/Fargo, don't get your hopes up for fluffy scenes. I will clearly state here that there will be no kissing-after-a-moment-of-tension. It tends to be the climax in romances, but it doesn't work in not-really romance fics. Its kind of useless when used in this context anyways- the things that will happen between Zelbess and Fargo have an importance that far outstrips one isolated kiss. (Just a teaser for the next chapter.) Besides, I have difficulty thinking of Fargo and Zelbess as a touchy-feely couple- hard to, when the next generation gets the spotlight for love. Thanks, though. Pirates are awesome.  
  
Oh, um by the way, it anyone wants to contest that rambling about Kid, er... I'd say email me, but it's deactivated right now, so the only option is to review. . . but I don't really like people cluttering the review box with debates that have nothing to do with the story, so, uh...if anyone knows an alternative, please take advantage of it? If it helps, my penname is tami3. (Unless it has a mention of the story, it won't be counted as one of the five.)  
  
Anyways, I hope you'll like this enough to review- one chapter left! (urgh. . .notes almost as long story!) 


	3. Finale

Flotsam;

Defined: The wreckage of a ship or its cargo found floating on the sea. Legally it belongs to the original owner, though finders may claim salvage.

/The council is . . . somewhat startled, and apprehensive over Mermaiden Zelbess's surprising decision to grace us with her unscheduled presence. /

/P-please, I-Council, there's something-/

/The Council requests that Mermaiden Zelbess shows a degree of the respect that-/

/Oh, please don't- Mermaiden Zelbess begs the council to . . . forget-forgive the lack of- formalities, because I'm- for she- has something to say that- is important and I- She can't stalled for the sake of the proper address! /

/What's the matter, Zelbess? Your tail's missing half its scales. Your fins are ragged. Are you ill? /

/Oh, Honorable Sage, I- . . . never mind that! It's just stress. /

/Stress isn't good for marine creatures. It's as deadly to them as any predator/

/No, it's... it's fine!/

/The council would like to know what is the meaning behind this!/

/Oh, I . . ., Fargo, the human and I . . . we've been secretly married this past few months./

/. . . T-the council begs your pardon-!/

/Shut up!/

/W-what did you say?!/

/ Oh shut up, just shut up!. . .W-we never thought that we would be able to produce young, but for the p-p-past few weeks I've been having fits of n-nausea and feeling strange all over and acting oddly, and Fargo says that that's the signs of pregnancy for human women and now I d-don't know what I'm going to do because none of us know if the offspring will be b-born live or in an e-egg or if it can even live as a half breed or what i-its needs are and I can't keep it alive m-myself, I mean, mammals need m-m-milk to live and I can't nurse it and what if it c-can't swim, all fish need to give birth underwater and Fargo says that human young are born l-large and I'm scared that I'll die-and maybe it'll die!-when it c-comes and-/

/The Sage demands that Zelbess falls silent!/

/Calm yourself. I will have every resident of the island pool seek out any way to assist you and your. . . husband. Although you have willfully disobeyed all the ideals that the council upholds, we shall not turn our backs on you in this time of need; you are still a daughter of Marbule, and we have not, nor shall we ever, forsake you./

/O-oh. . .th-thank. . ./

/Th-this is outrageous! Mermaiden Zelbess, you are a curse upon your peaceful neighbors, and a plague upon this island! You and your foul, unnatural offspring should be no concern of this council or any other demi-human- you should be cast off-!/

/The sage would be most pleased if the council speaker would kindly oblige and just. Shut. Up./

/She has conceived the human's child./

/. . . I know. Everyone knows. And by the sage's rule, we must see her through this ordeal./

/Poor girl, silly girl. . . she is going to die. No fish can live through the birthing of a live babe./

/We must wait. That is all. We shall wait./

He appearance was not human, pleasantly muted all around, in color and form, into a subtle beauty. It was neither that of merpeople's, angular grace to his limbs and eyespots on the verge of debilitating loveliness. It was both, in a way, although if aesthetic theory was defined as singular, blatant ethnicity, he was as homely as a tattered leaflet of browning seaweed, slimily writhing in the currents.

His hair was a bouquet of glistening garnet strands, not yet tumbled into a shining finish, and with the same rough quality of his father's. If swept up in the sun, it was rather a reddish pink, feathered and straight all about the face that had a flesh tone. There were to be changes to be made here and there before he was done becoming himself. As he grew, the hybrid's mane would thicken and become heavier; it would be slicked down by natural oils, and stiffen in accordance to his fish heritage. But it would still be lithe, able to twist and flow with him as he dashed down the beach. He'd be faster than any other bipedal mammal demi-human, as their recent ancestors had used four legs instead of two. It would still plaster itself to his bare back when he jumped into the ocean, out of temper when he saw merchildren leaving him on land. And his skin would darken, so that he did not burn from exposure to the day, even if he would want to stay in the shade of lagoons, as was a fish's instinct.

Yes. He would be healthy, and strong, even if would never prefer or even know the milk that was so nourishing to human children. Instead, he would develop under the sustenance of meat, which he had begun eating the day of his birth. Raw, with his mother, or cooked, with his father, it didn't seem to matter. He also would also nibble on the insect life his mother occasionally enjoyed but his father wouldn't touch, if it were to be had. At the same time he would chew the hard sections of fresh fruits, whose rigidity prevented merpeople from eating them.

He was missing any distinctive markings in full-fledged color, and there was not a scale to be seen descending in a trail from the abdomen down. But there were four oblong, banded blots on his feet, which could have passed as eyespots if they had any other pigments besides melanin. His eyes, which were not spectacular as human or merboy, were still a pretty blend of purples and lavender that had the faintest of white resin sheen, like properly protected sea-salt irises. Their darker flecks almost seemed to flicker in tempo when he was happy, and gurgling musical, throaty babble.

She was fine, and it had been uncomplicated, as no one could have predicted. He had been the size of a normal merchild egg (an adult's hand) but had rapidly caught up with the human standards for the normal weight and size of an infant. He had been delivered underwater, but brought to the surface where he had taken his first air, and thrived, despite its delay. No one hated him when they saw him, thought he was a freak. Here was the proof that although ill advised and still unspeakably offensive, the merging of the two races was possible.

Nikki sang himself to sleep with his own voice; not being fully merman, there was less undiluted mysticism, no longer any hypnotizing euphoria. . . but once imperfect, the merpeople's gift moved on to other characteristics.

Besides the feeling, there was room left for thought as the feeling was felt, from the song.(there were no words; Nikki had not yet learned any.) One wondered at how the baby could synthesize his fretful cries with a melody. His parents did not care. They only would listen . . . and think that maybe there was a revolution to be considered.

Er... I know it's not as coherent as the other chapters were. But I am very, very late on account of being very, very busy, so. . . here it is, yay? Thank you for the reviews, I hope everyone had a good time. I'll try to write better notes later. . .


End file.
